Neutral Tones

Still smitten by Paris, I am accessing photos from our visit to the Louvre for illustrations of neutral tones.  The natural light is ideal for photography of the sculptures in marble and alabaster.

The Louvre was formerly a royal palace.  As we strolled through the extensive exhibits, I was grateful that this experience isn’t reserved for royalty only!

My enchantment of Paris has been augmented by reading David McCullough’s The Greater Journey: Americans in Paris.  Thank you, Mark for the recommendation.  Voilá Paris!   

Amphora · Two handled jar with a narrow neck used by the ancient Greeks and Romans to carry wine or oil. 

 Athena, goddess of wisdom, courage, inspiration, civilization, law and justice, just warfare, mathematics, strength, strategy, the arts, crafts, and skill. - Wikipedia.

Le Moro · The African as "Christian Antiquity" by Nicolas Cordier · Borghese Collection

My husband.  "He’s an American but he has a Latin heart."  – Enio, Italian Delegate

The lady in beige snagged my attention because her attire co-ordinated with the marble surroundings.
At the time of the photo, I had "gold" in mind but I liked these earth tones, too.

Paris offers the sweet life, too.  Apple tart with caramel drizzle.

Autumn · A time to Reap

The colors of autumn immediately came to mind with the announcement of this week’s theme.  Seemingly locked into this thought, I opted to pass on submitting photos on the topic.  However, I wouldn’t miss reviewing the photos of this august group of Photo Friday photographers and thinkers.  As a result, the topic of autumn took on a renewed meaning:  To Reap.  

From Amber, I gathered the feedback from a resident in the path of the storm, so thoughtfully expressed in “I feel strange publishing these beautiful photos.”  Indeed.  The photos are beautiful, so brilliantly matched in diptych format.

From Lynda, I reaped the photographic tour of a geographic climate much less harsh than our own climate.  The kitchen views are homey and tasty in appearance!  Again, the climate difference appears in the fresh peaches being prepared.  Here, fresh peaches are history, a blip on our gastronomic radar screen in late August/early September! 

From Molly, another photographic journey was harvested where our climates are similar, thus sending us indoors.  The change of seasons please me, though.  Thoreau writes of winter as being the time for inwardness.  It’s a cozy time!

From Mark, an apt quote was added to my crop of collectible quotes:   "Autumn in one's life is something else; it takes getting used to."  The previous quote capturing my attention is about grandchildren.  "Being a grandparent is the only thing I know of in which reality is better than our cultural myth, in which pervasive hype does not diminish actual experience."

The leaves in the photos are beautiful.  Through the years, I have often photographed leaves in various geographic locations.  It’s nice to have an inventory of them to photoshop into other photos.  The colorful trees in Japan are a feast for the eyes.  

Maddie’s October gifting and Julia’s church photos prompted me to venture into my world of old remembrances.    For this I’m thankful

Autumn is a time for harvest and thanksgiving.  Thank you, Photo Friday Folks!

Reflection

My scruffy old geraniums are ready to spend another winter in the basement.  They survived a couple of light frosts, one dusting of snow and being munched upon by deer while we were traveling.  

It was a gorgeous autumn day when I prepared them for transition to winter.  With the autumn sun reflecting from their remaining flowers and leaves, I was free to reflect on the past summer of garden growth.  I was also mindful that only a week ago I was strolling around the Monet Gardens in France. 

Having thoughts of Monet's beautiful gardens and my own back-breaking, knee-aching efforts in my own garden gave me time for reflection.  In the here and now; I'm thankful. 

Nothing Gold Can Stay - Robert Frost

Nature's first green is gold,
Her hardest hue to hold.

Her early leaf's a flower;
But only so an hour.

Then leaf subsides to leaf.
So Eden sank to grief,

So dawn goes down to day.
Nothing gold can stay.

Gold

How timely the topic!  Gold, while in Paris, the Golden City!   We spent Sunday, October 7th in the Louvre where gold in the exhibits and artwork abound!

At Versailles, we began our tour at the golden gate, designed to have the rising sun centered upon it on the birth date of King Louis XIV.

Daytime or nighttime, the Eiffel Tower is a captivating sight!  The golden glow at night was irresistible to photograph while on our dinner cruise of the River Seine.

The "no-flash" policy for museum photography produces images with a golden glow. 

Gold in nature is always visually appealing.  On our tour into the Normandy countryside, we saw various residences of Claude Monet, the most notably, Giverny.

Paris is the city of love and romance, characterized by the padlocks on the bridge, many of them gold plated. The tradition is an annoyance to many in the cities, but the padlocks keep coming back!

In Paris, fine dining or a quick pick-me-up is a gourmet choice.  My favorite sweet lift is the Parisian miniature dessert option with espresso. The Crème brûlée is golden!

Jean Baptist Huynh photo exhibit

Cold

Vigeland Park is a display of sculptures depicting emotion.  Most beloved among them is the child having a temper tantrum.  Everything about the granite sculptures on a February day in Oslo seemed cold; yet, there was an element of warmth, too.  The temper-tantrum child would be warmed by the energy of his anger.  Even the pair of elderly women, troubled by some unknown threat, show the warmth of a caring companionship.

Near the top of Europe is Tromso, in northern Norway where the wintertime days are short.  Most homes have mini-pendent lights and small lamps in the windows.  At night the glow of the lights convey the welcoming warmth of hearth and home, poised in the arctic climate.

Symmetry

 In the course of an ordinary day.......

To begin the day, I brew a cup of coffee and take it to the back yard to welcome the morning.  Already, that option has slipped away at the end of summer.

 On my way out the door today, I noticed the bedraggled begonia after all the heat, so what's left is the plant stand.

En route to Farmer's Market, I snapped a photo of the wheel in the window of the downtown antique store.

Nearby is seating in the Main Street enhancement area.

At the Farmer's Market, the decorative flowers adorn the antique farm equipment

 

Decorative Kale:  I visited my neighbor to admire her garden in the waning days of summer.

Woodbine Trellis:  "It just keeps growing," my neighbor states.

Back at home, I'm greeted by the Lakota tapestry hanging near the front entrance.
 It was a birthday present from my husband.

Fragments of Another Life

Hand-crocheted bedspread - Made by my mother-in-law's second husband's first wife. 

My mother-in-law's wedding dress, 1935.

Collectible textiles and apparel been left to me by my mother-in-law and the first wife of my mother-in-law's second husband.  Sounds confusing, I know.  The story of the latter woman is unknown to me.  I only know that she hand-crocheted the bedspread.

For 35 years, my mother-in-law was a part of my life.  She divorced years before I married her son, and I knew nothing of her young, married life.

At age 92, she came to live near us.  Packing her personal belongings for the move, I stumbled upon the satin wedding dress, stuffed in a plastic shopping bag.  "What's this?" I asked, pulling the ivory-colored fabric from the bag.  "My wedding dress," she replied, then added, "I don't know......." as her voice drifted away.

The kid leather gloves?   When did she wear them?   What was the occasion?  Are her stories happy?  I simply don't know. They are fragments of another life.